Panasonic PT-AE8000U

Bottom Line

Experts say that the Panasonic PT-AE8000 is one of the best projectors in terms of image quality. It has razor-sharp images, lots of contrast, great dynamic range, and immersive 3D. Just be prepared to spend a little time setting up this video projector if you want to get the very best results.

Image Quality

Flawless images. The Panasonic PT-AE8000's predecessor, the PT-AE7000, drew plenty of expert praise for its high-quality image. The PT-AE8000 is even better thanks to a number of subtle, but significant improvements. The end result is what PC World (Australia) calls one of the best home theater projectors in terms of image quality. The PT-AE8000 displays "a huge range of contrast, a pin-sharp lens, and seamless 3D," write the editors.

Bill Livolsi, from ProjectorCentral.com, likes the AE8000's 3D performance too -- he says it has much better brightness and stability than its predecessor, and also praises "rock solid" black levels. He goes on to note that not only is shadow detail better on the PT-AE8000 then the PT-AE7000, the difference in brightness -- more than a 50 percent increase in Cinema 1 mode -- is readily apparent to the naked eye.

Comparing his measurements for the two models, Livolsi reports that brightness has increased from 529 to 822 lumens in Cinema 1 mode. In Dynamic mode, which prioritizes brightness over image quality, brightness has jumped from 1,685 to 2,471 lumens.

The PT-AE8000 also supports 2D to 3D interpolation. However, editors at PC World (Australia), warn that this projector is "only going to operate at its best when you can control the lighting in the room around you." Because it uses LCD technology, the PT-AE8000 is free of the "rainbow effect" that sometimes plagues less-expensive DLP projectors.

Features

Going for the extra dimension. Bill Livolsi from ProjectorCentral.com reports that as long as you keep the Panasonic PT-AE8000's image-enhancement features set to reasonable levels, they're both effective and artifact-free. These features -- including 3D Motion Remaster which combats the bulging effect (parallax error) that happens when the left- and right-eye images don't move as your brain expects -- are a big hit with Amazon.com reviewers too.

The PT-AE8000's 3D Depth Control is helpful too, protecting you from over-enthusiastic filmmakers who've inserted too much depth into their 3D creations -- which often results in headaches or eyestrain.

Other features that previously worked in 2D only -- like the powered zoom and focus and Lens Memory system -- are now available in 3D as well, Livolsi writes. Lens Memory is an especially popular feature as it eliminates the need to manually change zoom and focus settings as you switch between content with different aspect ratios. As ProjectorReviews.com notes, that's helpful for those who want a super-wide aspect-ratio screen without shelling out for a pricy anamorphic lens to go with it

Setup and Use

Plenty of placement options. According to Livolsi, the PT-AE8000's color settings are almost spot-on right out of the box, but videophiles can calibrate them to near-perfection with Panasonic's built-in suite of calibration aids. The editors of PC World (Australia) warn that the "bevy" of image quality settings might be daunting to the average user at first. Not many seem to mind, though; "I do like the menu system and the electronic setup went smoothly," writes one Amazon.com user. PC World (Australia) does add that "once you've got the PT-AE8000 set up correctly, it's not going to require much fiddling."

The PT-AE8000's manual lens shift and motorized 2x zoom and focus give you plenty of placement options, while keystone correction (+/- 30 degrees) is controlled via a joystick-like lever on the projector. Input options include 3 HDMI connectors, RGB, component and composite video, and S-Video.

For gamers, Bill Livolsi of ProjectorCentral.com measured lag at 34 milliseconds, down from the PT-AE7000's 41 milliseconds. Projected lamp life is the standard -- 5,000 hours in eco mode or 4,000 hours in normal mode -- although we couldn't find any reports from users who've had to replace a lamp as yet.

Value

Worth every penny -- with a catch. Once you start closing in on a $3,000 price tag, you're not going to see users -- or even experts -- raving about a projector's overall value. At this price point it's all about performance, which reviewers say the Panasonic PT-AE8000 delivers in spades. User reviews are sparse, but, we did find a couple of Amazon.com reviews saying this projector is worth every penny.

One caveat: Like many manufacturers, Panasonic takes its authorized reseller policy seriously and won't honor warranties, rebates and offers if the PT-AE8000 is not purchased through one. We did spot a couple of comments noting that at Amazon.com, though only one was peeved enough to down-rate the projector over that requirement.